Apple iOS 5 and Google Android Gingerbread (as well as the company's upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich) may grasp the lion's share of the mobile operating system market share, but Microsoft is still a major player. Its Windows Phone 7 OS, the successor to the maligned Windows Mobile, uses Microsoft's slick, tile-based "Metro" design (a vital component in Windows 8) as its core design element. Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 update, otherwise known as "Mango," builds on that very solid foundation by including an improved Web browser, Twitter and LinkedIn integration, a terrific interface for creating ad-hoc groups of friends, the option for Wi-Fi hotspot mode and much more.

More importantly for this piece, Mango brings increased app functionality in the form of improved Live Tiles (which now serve up even more app-specific data), App Connect (includes relevant apps that you already have on your phone in Bing results, plus recommends others), Intelligent Multitasking (you can, for example, pause a game to send a text), and Xbox Live multiplayer support. Mango, in short, is a big league update.

According to Microsoft, there are over 30,000 apps and games in the Windows Phone Marketplace that you can download to your handset. Many of these apps were written pre-Mango, so only a portion of them support the features that the update brings (Facebook, Spotify). Microsoft, however, is encouraging developers, both new and existing, to write their code with Windows Phone 7.5 in mind.

That said, the following slideshow highlights several apps the leverages Mango's functionality. ASome of your favorite non-Windows Phone 7.5 Mango apps may not be included, because they haven't been updated, and not all of the apps here are marquee apps, because there simply aren't that many apps (yet) that specifically make use of the new Mango features. Still, if you've upgraded to Microsoft's latest phone operating system, you'll want to check out these apps as they showcase Mango's muscle.

As always, feel free to chime in with your own favorite Mango apps in the comment section below.

1AllRecipes (Free)

Chefs and foodies, this is the app for you. AllRecipes brings thousands of top-rated recipes to you Windows Phone 7.5 handset. This Mango-optimized app lets you multitask, pin a Live Tile to the home screen (which updates with a fresh recipe on a daily basis), and pin individual recipes to the home screen.

2Evernote (Free)

Popular notetaking and archiving software and service Evernote comes to Windows 7.5 handsets with a number of features that take advantage of Mango’s capabilities. The app now lets you pin template tiles to the home screen (so you can create a new note with a single screen tap) and sync data in the background. It’s easily one of the best Mango productivity apps for folks looking to get things done.

3Fly Delta (Free)

The Fly Delta app lets frequent fliers select seats, check in, and even rebook flights, but it’s the new Mango features that make it standout from the pack. The app now lets you pin your boarding pass to the home screen, multitask, and open airport maps in Bing Maps.

4Foursquare (Free)

Love it or hate it, you can’t have an apps marketplace without Foursquare, the popular location-based social network that lets users "check in" to various locations around town. Foursquare’s new Mango support brings multitasking and Live Tiles that let you pin "places" and "specials" to your phone’s home screen for fast access.

5gReadie ($1.49)

Quids Technology’s Windows Phone Google Reader app has been rebuilt from the ground up to support Mango. The change makes the app far more dynamic; pinning a feed to the home screen produces a dedicated live title that displays the unread article count and the name of the latest story. The app also lets users save articles for offline reading, and download articles when the phone is charging and connected to Wi-Fi to save on precious data costs.

6Movies by Flixster (Free)

Film fans who want to stay on top of the latest Hollywood happenings should check out Flixter. The app lets entertainment-seekers watch movie trailers, browse showtimes, and read Rotten Tomatoes-powered critic reviews. The Mango update brings multitasking, Bing mobile search integration, and the ability to pin favorite movies and theaters to the home screen as live tiles.

7TuneIn Radio (Free)

TuneIn Radio lets you listen to over 50,000 talk and music broadcasts without opening your wallet. The free app streams live audio from the likes of BBC and NPR—both local and global—to your Windows Live 7.5 handset. Mango multitasking functionality lets you listen to audio while tinkering with other apps, and pin individual stations to the home screen.

8Parachute Panic ($2.99)

Microsoft Studios’ Parachute Panic is a casual game that sees gamers guiding parachutists to safety as they attempt to land on boats. You have to be nimble with the fingers as the rotor blades from passing copters, thunder clouds, sharks, and other dangers threaten to ruin your mission. The Mango-compatible app supports multitasking and live titles.

9Rocket Riot ($4.99)

Sometimes you’re just in the mood to shoot things. Rocket Riot lets you do just that by guiding your 8-bit soldier through marvelous, highly-stylized pixilated environments that are completely destructible.—the perfect stress relief after a long day. This blast-a-thon supports Fast App Switching, so you can pick up the carnage where you left off.

10Slacker Radio (Free)

Featuring over 150 expertly programmed genre stations, the free Slacker Radio app lets users stream an excellent mix of music, comedy, news, and sports. New to the Slacker Radio app is multitasking support that keeps the audio flowing in the background when you open another app.